Bevis stared at her phone screen. It showed a satellite screen focused on the area across the way that was clearing quickly, leaving a few hundred heat signatures behind; some were even leaving but not toward the surrender zone. Frowning, she watched them move through the back of the other camp. Perhaps they knew their days of good work were nearly at an end, or they didn't want to be a replacement for The Calderone's absent torture toys. Two shadows filled the tent entrance; Bevis' eyes snapped to the length of them on the sand in front of her before slowly joining her raised arm, which aimed her weapon in that direction. It was the man and woman she had seen going into the ammo tent earlier.

"What do you want?" she asked, waiting as their bodies joined the shadows in the cave. They stood a moment, looking around.

"We've come to join you, Death Dealer," the woman said, "we are the regulators."

"Fantastic," Bevis said, sarcasm dripping heavily off the word.

"We know you have been joined by an Extractor, and the Nissim is with you," the man said, "what we want to know is ..." he glanced at the woman before continuing, "... who are you here to kill and do we need to regulate you?"

Bevis stared at them, not lowering the weapon, "You already decided what you would do before you came to the tent. What do you want?"

"It is protocol to advise you we are in the area," the woman said, glancing around again, "and since there seem to be many of our colleagues from ... our division... present ..." she sighed, "... we have no choice but to let you know who we are."

"If that is all you want ... leave," Bevis said, watching them through her weapons site, "now."

Nodding, the man turned to leave, but the woman detained him with a hand on his arm; he glanced down at her before looking over his shoulder at Bevis.

"You should show more respect," the woman said, "we didn't need to tell you, and we could regulate you."

"You know I'm guarding the Nissim; otherwise, you would have told me earlier," Bevis said, "the protocol you speak of does not require me knowing who you are when I am not assigned a ... termination."

"How do you know you haven't been reassigned?" the woman asked, an odd glint in her eye, "I could have been told of it before you."

"That is not correct protocol," Bevis said, her unblinking gaze becoming narrowed and watchful, "if there is nothing else ... leave."

The man left on those words, but the woman stood a few heartbeats more, staring intently at Bevis before turning and leaving. Slowly, Bevis lowered her weapon, watchful of the entrance, but they didn't return.

"You can come out now," Bevis said as she laid her weapon on the table still in her hand, looking at the maps and papers on the table before looking up at the rock archway not far from her, "what did you make of that?"

"Very weird," Chelsea said, "you're right about the protocol. What does your inner radar say?"

"My inner ..." Bevis shook her head, chuckling, "... you haven't used that term for many years."

"Well?" Chelsea asked, grinning.

"Him ... I think he's the genuine thing," Bevis said, "he seemed surprised when she stopped him from leaving the first time and more surprised by her words and attitude. Then there is the woman ..." she sighed, "... I have alarm bells going off everywhere about everything and I can't help wondering if I may have to deal her a death before all of this is over."

"Do you think she's involved somehow with The Calderone?" Chelsea asked, "Since when have you dealt with death without being tasked?"

Bevis looked at her best friend, sighing, "I haven't had to make that ... decision for many years, but if a regulator uses that position to stop me from doing my allotted task, I am ... authorised to weigh the presenting options and make a decision to terminate or simply educate said ... person."

"Educate?" Chelsea asked.

"Yes, put in line," Bevis supplied, not looking at her friend, "advise they have the incorrect information."

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"But terminate if they cross the line and take up with the enemy," Chelsea said.

Bevis nodded, surprising the disapproving expression on Chelsea's face, "Look, they haven't requested my services for years because ..." she sighed, leaning on the table and dropping her chin to her chest.

"Do continue," Chelsea said, crossing her arms over her chest, "tell me why they have not used your expertise for assassination in years."

Bevis heard the heavy sarcasm in Chelsea's voice and opened her mouth to reply, but nothing would come. No words would be spoken. Shaking her head, she pushed away from the table, holstering her weapon and striding around the cave interior.

"Come on, why can't you tell me what reason you possibly have that cannot be spoken," Chelsea said, "since when do you not tell me about things like this. Since when have you kept things from me? Bevis, we've been friends for years, and it takes an event like this to find out one of the most important things about you."

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you," Bevis said.

"Why not?" Chelsea shouted.

"Because she is not permitted to," the Nissim said from the rock archway, "Bevis has not been used for years because she does not blindly follow orders. There has to be a defining reason for her to do a termination. She is what they term a decerning assassin."

"That is nonsense," Chelsea said, "an absolute load of nonsense," she shook her head while looking between the two women, "There is no such thing."

"Ordinarily," Sabra said, nodding, "but in Bev's case, she needed more than their word that the person needed to be killed. It didn't just happen once, but with every case they had. They found it ... annoying. When her term of service was up, she told them to call on her only in special cases, where all the facts showed that the only choice was termination."

Chelsea stared at Sabra, her mouth hanging open, "Is that why she is guarding you?"

"Oh no, she is guarding me because I need someone who knows that life is more important and there is always another way or choice until there absolutely isn't."

"So you needed someone who could see the forest for the trees and still see other options to get you out alive," Chelsea whispered, nodding slowly, "and the only person was Bev?"

"The only person like that ... that I trust ... is Bev," Sabra said, walking to the table and looking down, "it looks like we have a plan of sorts here ... good show. What is that?"

All the heads snapped toward the entrance. Bevis had heard the silent scrape against rock and moved along the wall toward the tent's entrance, peeking around the stone. A large man stood in the tent entrance looking around the empty space and then disappeared.

"It's one of The Calderone's men," Bevis whispered, "I think whatever it is, it's about to start."

"What was he doing here?" Chelsea asked.

"Either looking around or trying to find Sabra's location," Bevis said, quickly heading to the small trunk under the table and motioning for Chelsea to join her, "here ... I know you're already dripping in weapons, but I'm sure you can add some to the arsenal."

"Like some material items women collect, I think there are never enough weapons to have when going into battle," Chelsea grinned as Bevis opened the trunk, indicating the selection, before pushing knives and weapons into her belt and hanging them around her shoulders and neck. Quickly, she chose what she wanted and added them to everything already hanging around her frame.

"Ready Ladies?" Bevis asked.

Two nods met her words.

"Wonderful. We have decades of terror and mayhem to end," Bevis said, glancing at Chelsea before looking directly at Sabra, "are you ready for whatever is thrown our way?"

"Absolutely," Sabra said, nodding as a slow smile moved over her lips, "this meeting has been in the making for years. You're correct," she sighed, "it's time this ended."

"Then let's do this," Bevis said, stepping from around the table and moving toward the entranceway; pausing in the archway, she glanced over her shoulder at Chelsea, still standing at the table, "you coming?"

"Yes," Chelsea said, nodding, "if you need to deal death ..." she sighed, "... I'll protect Sabra."

"Thanks, Chels," Bevis murmured, "then it's back to being ... normal."

Chlsea's sharp glance did not go unseen as Bevis left the cave, pausing at the tent entrance and looking around before heading for the entrance and watching the activity from one side.

"Well, it does seem as though The Calderone and her goons are doing an unauthorised search of the area," Bevis said, stepping two steps back into the tent and looking up quickly at the tent roof, "it helps to listen to the hairs on the back of your head."

Bevis flinched as a knife flew over her head, landing in the body lying over the tent entrance, waiting for them to exit. Glancing over her shoulder, Bevis met Chelsea's gaze, still staring at the immobile body above them.

"Thank you," Bevis whispered, scanning the canopy above them, "looks like that was the only one up there."

"Agreed," Sabra said, "how many are out there?"

"A few," Bevis said, "shall we make ourselves known and get this over with?"

"I think it's time to eliminate the enemy," Chelsea said, pulling her knife from the tent roof and wiping it clean on the grass before putting it back in the sheath.

"Then we do this," Bevis said as two nods met her words. Inhaling, she stepped through the entrance and paused in the startling heat of the blazing sun.

"This is a little off, don't you think," she said loud enough to draw attention, "isn't your usual way of creeping up on people at dawn or dusk?"